Kate Bosworth - Beyond the Sea

Kate Bosworth/Beyond the Sea Interview

by Paul Fischer in Toronto.

BOSWORTH CRUSHES BEYOND THE SEA.

Kate Bosworth continues in her quest to find challenging roles that don?tnecessarily fit the Hollywood mainstream. Still beautiful and multi-faceted,Bosworth has the unenviable challenge of stepping into the shoes of themisunderstood and fragile and iconic Sandra Dee, who married Bobby Darrin,in Kevin Spacey?s ambitious Beyond the Sea. Following the film?s worldpremiere at this year?s Toronto Film Festival, Paul Fischer sat withBosworth to talk about her unique career and this equally unique character.

Paul Fischer: Last year you were in a film [Wonderland] that regrettablynobody saw but hopefully that will change with this one. Yet you don't seemto care about finding films that have commercial viability which is unusualin a town where young, beautiful actresses tend to do that. Why do youthink you're different?

Bosworth: You know, I don't really have a game plan in terms of mebeing a huge box office star. That comes I think with timing and luck andwhatever it is that creates that formula. For me, it's just about makingmovies that are interesting or have a certain appeal to me and what I thinkwould be appealing to audiences. I like taking risks, I like doing thingsthat someone else may not do.


P.F: There's no such thing as a Kate Bosworth persona, very interesting.Did you intend to set out to turn down things that were similar to BlueCrush?

Bosworth: I think, yeah, I think for me it's all about exploring newareas and challenging myself again and again so if it's in the same place asthe Crush it doesn't really make sense for me to do it again. It would haveto be something completely different.


P.F: How long has it been since that movie, about 3 years, 4 years? Youget asked a lot about that film, still.

Bosworth: I know. It's funny.


P.F: Why, is it annoying though that you're still going to be regarded asthe Crush girl?

Bosworth: No, I was so proud of that film. I worked so hard on thatfilm, you've no idea, so it makes me really happy. I love that young girlswere so motivated after that film, that was my favourite thing. I get somany letters and so many Mums come up and say, like, my daughter is soinspired by that film and she, you know, is now doing this or that. It maynot even be surfing but it just inspires them to get out and try somethingnew. I don't know, I think with Crush, it started a whole new, no punintended, wave of culture in a way, you know, there's Hawaii and North Shore


P.F: But what is interesting about that character and the charactersyou've played since, that a lot of them are very strong women, young, strongyoung women and even though there's no parallel between that girl and SandraDee, they're still interesting characters, aside from whatever genre.

Bosworth: Yeah, I mean they really are and I've been lucky enough tofind a few of them. Again, if there is one, all the young women in myprofession are going for it. They're few and far between. I think it'sgetting better, getting more opportunities for women.


P.F: You are obviously from a generation that's never even heard ofSandra Dee and Bobby Darrin except through Grease I guess, if I rememberrightly, so what do you have do to be able to find her in taking on thisrole?

Bosworth: I read a lot, I read a book that her son had wrote calledDream Lover and that was the best resource for me, whether it was becauseshe felt more comfortable to be speaking with him, about her life, or thatit was her time of life where she felt really urged to pass on everythingbut it was a great resource and a lot of thought, and it was really aboutgetting into her head.


P.F: She's still alive, so was there ever an attempt to try and get tomeet her.

Bosworth: You know, I didn't because she sort of gave the thumbs upfor the film and OK'd the film and then left it alone, which I reallyentirely understand. I think it would be really strange to have some peoplerecreating your life and a whole film re-telling everything in your lifethat's quite painful. And I think you either, I mean Dawn, the woman Iplayed in Wonderland, she really was hands-on. She wanted to get back intothat world for closure or whatever, or OK, make it, fine, but I just can'tgo there again.


P.F: How do you, as a young star or actress in the limelight, avoid thekinds of mistakes that made Sandra Dee such a tragedy?

Bosworth: Well I think, what was sad about her was that it reallywasn't her fault. She had a really controlling mother that, from a youngage to when she was married and then she was part of Bobby's world anddidn't really get to discover herself but I think that would be the numberone thing for young actresses. Just, you have to know yourself before youcompletely indulge yourself in the world of acting because then you getlost.


P.F: How do you survive the limelight because you now are in thelimelight more and more now?

Bosworth: It's all so surreal to me. I don't find any of that realyet so that's probably a huge part of it. Even though you're saying that tome, it's like, really?


P.F: People sort of ask you about, they try asking about who you'redating.

Bosworth: Right. That's funny. That makes me laugh. It's not likeI'm sitting here going, oh right, this is what it's like to be in a couplerelationship in Hollywood, it's like, you know, we're so normal, you knowwhat I mean. It's weird. That's always a bit jarring for me because


P.F: The fact that you've actually mentioned that is interesting becauseeven when you were promoting Blue Crush, and I tried to find out if you evenhad a boyfriend, and you were not really all that well-known, you wouldn'tsay a thing.

Bosworth: I know.


P.F: And now that you're in the public eye, you seem to be, not that I'masking about that, I don't care about that, it's funny that you seem to beless scared of.

Bosworth: It's just, to be honest, so what am I going to do. I keepthe details to myself.


P.F: How do you maintain ? what's normal ? what do you feel is importantto you away from this?

Bosworth: Friends, family, a good sense of self.


P.F: And I think by not doing these big Hollywood movies must also insome ways keep it in perspective.

Bosworth: For me it's like a race. It's a marathon, it's not asprint. I know it's an old cliche line but it's true. It's like, I don'tneed to repeat 21. I really don't. I want to be able to explore differentthings and feel out different projects and I don't need it so fast, youknow. I really don't. I just want to take things in my own time. I'vealways been like that, even when I was younger.


P.F: What kinds of things are you looking to do at the moment?

Bosworth: I have a few passion projects of my own at the moment


P.F: Would you produce now?

Bosworth: Maybe. Yeah, what's interesting in parts for women is thatit's really hard to find them.


P.F: But you have to have to find them.

Bosworth: Yeah, but they're not easy. I've been really lucky so Ithink for me it's also now I'm at a point in my life where I want to go outand seek them.


P.F: Last time we spoke, I think that was the Ted Hamilton film, you hadwrapped something that was a small thing.

Bosworth: Bee Season. Yeah, I had just done Bee Season with JulietteBinoche and Richard Gere and Max Minghella ? do you know ? he's young, he'sgoing to be big, so great. And that was an experience of playing a HariKrishna devotee.


P.F: I can see that.

Bosworth: So I'm in a sari and it's a whole different


P.F: Did you have to shave your head?

Bosworth: No, no, no, nothing like that, but it was exploring adifferent culture and the film was all about coming into your ownspirituality, that was really interesting.


P.F: Have you started anything?

Bosworth: I'm not, I just signed on for the Revlon campaign with SusanSarandon. Susan and Julianne Moore and Halle Berry.


P.F: Good company.

Bosworth: Very good company. Yeah, so we're all going to do theRevlon campaign which has been taking up a lot of my time now.


P.F: Is it a print campaign or a TV campaign?

Bosworth: We did the print campaign, TV I have to leave directly fromhere to shoot in New York with all of them this afternoon.


P.F: That's pretty cool.

Bosworth: That's pretty cool. I'm like, you know you're going to thisthing, oh, it's so cool. It really is.


P.F: What do you do with all that money you earn?

Bosworth: Oh, all of it. The heaps and heaps. Are you kidding me?


P.F: Have you bought a house yet? Is that something you want to do?

Bosworth: I'd love to have a house, yeah, and not anything outrageous,I'd love to just have my own space.


P.F: What about a little sports car?

Bosworth: No.


P.F: Did you talk about the possibility of directing, having noticedKevin can direct and act.

Bosworth: You know what it is, that I realised that I am so far fromready to do that. I mean, Kevin is just so, amazing, every time I look athim, I'm in awe. He's come to a point where he can do just about anything.


P.F: What surprised you about him as a director?

Bosworth: Well I got the intimacy I think between a director and anactor that you don't necessarily get with actor and actor. You have acertain relationship like that which is great but then you have arelationship with somebody who's really honing an entire project and you'repart of it, and they see the big picture rather than being in a scene. It'slike, you have got with him but you also have his vision of the entireproject and how he wants you to be a part of it. He's great. It's hard toput in words about Kevin Spacey.

vP.F: Have you seen the film yet?

Bosworth: I have.


P.F: How are you surprised at the way you look?

Bosworth: It was very interesting actually because I'd been distancedfrom the film for a little while and I was so into that character and that[inaudible] that point in Berlin, not even like in LA or anything. I wasjust in this bubble there, and when I saw it, nearly a year later, I wasjust so shocked with how I looked and how I spoke even, it was just reallyneat.